In an interview given to the program Le Club Le Figaro Idées, Cardinal Robert Sarah has offered an uncompromising diagnosis of the situation of the Church and the West. The African cardinal warns of a deep crisis of faith in Europe, denounces the reduction of the Church to a social organization, and emphasizes that without God, Western societies are doomed to disappear.
The West, a civilization that has forgotten Christ
Cardinal Sarah expressed his main concern about the spiritual evolution of the West. In his view, the societies that for centuries transmitted the Gospel have stopped considering Jesus Christ as a vital reference.
“We have the impression that the West is no longer interested in Christ,” he stated, warning of a loss of identity that puts at risk not only Europe but also the young Churches. Even so, he recalled that the Church will not disappear: Christ remains with it until the end of time.
“The Church is not an NGO”
One of the central axes of the interview was his criticism of the Church’s drift toward exclusively social issues:
“It gives the impression that for some time now the Church only talks about ecological change, migrants, peace… But the Church is not an NGO! It is not the role of the Church to speak only about social issues. It must put man in relation to God”
For Sarah, when the Church loses its orientation toward God, it stops fulfilling its essential mission.
A “too noisy” liturgy centered on man
The cardinal also denounced the current state of the liturgy, pointing out a loss of the sense of the sacred:
“The Church has damaged the liturgy of the Mass. It is too noisy! It is as if we were celebrating ourselves. It has become a moment of fellowship, when we are there to worship God; we need a liturgy that worships God. We no longer speak of salvation or the soul!”
In his view, the liturgy has stopped leading to God to focus on man.
Vocations: the solution does not involve eliminating celibacy
On the shortage of priests, Sarah clearly rejected proposals to reform celibacy:
“It is not by suppressing the celibacy of priests that the Church will foster more vocations. Look at Anglicanism: it is in full decline, and yet priests can marry. Above all, the priest represents Christ himself. Therefore, priests must imitate Christ in his concrete life, and He did not marry”
Euthanasia: “an inhuman law”
The cardinal was equally forceful when referring to euthanasia laws:
“By authorizing euthanasia, France goes beyond its power; it is an inhuman law. No one can decide who should die or who should live, whether a life is worth it or not, except God. Killing someone is barbaric”
Islam and identity crisis: a call to awaken
On the growth of Islam in the West, the cardinal issued a clear warning:
“Islam can awaken Christians. Muslims pray five times a day; God occupies a fundamental place in their existence. We are only asked to go to Mass on Sunday, but do we do it? If we do not awaken spiritually, with their numbers increasing they will impose their law and their culture”
Saint Pius X Brotherhood: warning about disobedience
The cardinal also addressed the possible ordination of bishops without pontifical mandate:
“The decision to ordain bishops without the agreement of the Holy See and the Holy Father is a grave decision that will tear and break the Church again, that will tear the tunic of Christ; it will make Christ suffer. Souls are not saved in disobedience”
The West without God: a civilization without roots
Overall, the interview draws a clear diagnosis: a civilization that has forgotten God loses its foundation.
Sarah warns that material well-being is not enough to sustain a society and that without its spiritual root, the West runs the risk of emptying itself. At the same time, he insists that only a return to God will allow the Church and society to recover their meaning.